


Strange Love

by missnoona



Category: K-pop, NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Angst, BDSM, Co-workers, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Punishment, Romance, Rough Sex, Smut, Spanking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:34:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27608395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missnoona/pseuds/missnoona
Summary: Your job is finally recognizing all the hard work you’ve been putting in, and assigns you to a special project that includes travel. The only downside is that you have to team up with your overly confident co-worker. In the process you learn about his predilections and what he does to relieve stress in his downtime, and how they might come to benefit you, too.
Relationships: Suh Youngho | Johnny/Reader
Comments: 16
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

**The** copier spluttered and buzzed as it spit out page after page of the same report. Sometimes it jammed and you had to tap it just right for it to start up again, you knew it like clockwork now, not even having to shift your stance or your gaze to do it. You had made friends with the piece of equipment ages ago, this thing was older than some of the new hires in the office.

You had been there for 3 years now, but it felt much longer. You found the job out of college because of its promised upward mobility and company culture, and after a while neither one of those things mattered anymore. You had only had one partial raise and “company culture” really just meant there was cake in the break room once a month.

You didn’t know why you stayed. Actually, you did, but didn’t want to admit it to yourself. You were afraid.

You had always been timid, knowing what you wanted but too anxious to go after it. You could be stubborn and even stand up for yourself, but often you fell by the wayside, worried about making too much of a fuss. You developed a fine-tuned talent for painting on a smile, seeming agreeable, then grumbling under your breath and to your friends over drinks. You would convince yourself things would change, but they never did. 

When the copier stopped with its signature grinding halt you snapped out of your reverie, piling the papers in arm to hand them out around the office. Busy-work, per usual.

When you stepped out of the room you immediately looked across the hall to the windowed room of your manager, able to hear his muffled laughter, head tossed back as he slapped his hand on another mans back. Your eyes set into a narrow glare at the other person.

John Suh had only shown up 9 months ago and he was already 2 positions ahead of you, with his fancy degree and family connections. They liked to pretend they didn’t play favorites but it was obvious from the moment he stepped in the door that he had something the rest of you didn’t, connections and his daddy’s money.

Plus, there was just this air of overconfidence he carried that enraged you. Not only did he have an advantage, he liked to act like it was his savvy business sense and charm that got him there. 

The most annoying part of all is that no one else felt the way you did.

He was clearly attractive, the only person in the office who didn’t get shit from the boss for growing his hair out or not buttoning up his jacket. Every girl in the office from the 19 year old receptionist to the 67 year old accountant practically swooned when he talked to them. This, of course, made you look like the asshole to your colleagues. They called you distrustful and told you to be a little more open-minded, but you didn’t have patience for nepotism and unearned praise.

If you thought about it too long, the frustration built up and where did that leave you? You went about your business for the afternoon, intent on ignoring his presence like you usually did.

As you neared the manager’s door, he suddenly poked his head out and smiled at you.

“Hey there, can I grab you for a second?”

And then he disappeared inside, through the glass you could see him speak to your nemesis once more. Your stomach dropped, what could he possibly need? You set the stack down on your desk and returned to the office, clearing your throat as you entered since they were chatting and laughing like you didn’t exist.

“There you are, have a seat.” He said as he went to his desk, gesturing to the chairs in front of it. You were surprised when John took the seat next to yours, but chose to pretend he wasn’t there.

“I’ve had this project brewing for a few months now, and whilst going over potential candidates your name came up.”

Project? Your name? 

“You’ve been loyal to the company for years, your workflow looks great, and I’ve never heard a fuss out of you. You’re honestly a prime worker for this position.”

“What position would that be, sir?” You asked gently, knowing he had a habit of going on tangents if you let him. Plus, all of this was lip service you’d heard since you started. They were always quick to praise, but never do anything that actually showed that it mattered in a way that helped you. Empty compliments.

“This is our main office, and the system we have here is the best in the business, but unfortunately that’s not the case in some of our smaller offices. They’re falling behind and their technology and practices aren’t getting updated in a timely fashion. Basically, they need help, and that’s where you two come in.”

Two? You peered over at the man next to you from the corner of your eye, and quickly back again.

“I’m not sure I follow. Aren’t these offices spread out all over the country?” You asked.

“Precisely. We’ve opened up a position for trainers, someone who is free to travel and can help these places get set up. You would spend about a week or less in each place, we would make sure you have proper accommodations and a stipend, of course.”

It dawned on you what he meant and you felt a mix of emotions. It was about time someone realized your potential and the hard work you had been putting in, even if you were still confused on how your name got brought up. You didn’t have any problem traveling, there was no relationship or particular thing that kept you tied down in one spot.

“Oh, and the 30% raise.”

You perked up at that, then quickly tried to make yourself appear neutral again.

“That does sound enticing.”

“What do you say? I think you both would be great at it.”

You fully looked over now, and made brief eye contact with the man who offered you an encouraging smile.

“We would be working...together?”

“It’s a two-man, excuse me, two-person job. I can tell you now I think you would make an excellent team.”

You didn’t even know him like that, and everything you did know you weren’t particularly fond of. You had maybe spoken a handful of words to each other, in passing. Things like “excuse me” and “here’s that report you needed.” The idea of having to spend so much time around him didn’t sit well with you, but how could you pass up such an opportunity? it was strictly business, it’s not like you had to be best friends.

“Okay, then.” You nodded and forced an uneasy smile. 

“Fantastic! I’ll draw up the paperwork tonight and get you on your schedule within the week. In the meantime, I encourage you two to get to know each other.” 

You left the office, intent on going straight back to your desk, but your new partner stopped you.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been formally introduced, I’m John, but everyone just calls me Johnny.”

He stuck his hand out and you had to fight the urge to cringe, there was no way in hell you were going to call him that.

You were cordial, shook his hand and told him your name, avoided eye contact. Being this close to him you didn’t realize until now how tall he was.

“You want to grab some lunch with me? My treat, we can hammer out some details.”

“I’m a little busy this aftern-”

“It’ll be fine, the boss insists we form a game plan and I know a spot around the corner.” He cut you off and started to walk away as if you already agreed. You wanted to fight him on it, but that wasn’t the best way to start out a brand new position. You sighed and followed.

The “spot” was basically a sports bar, that was practically dead, save for a few people at the bar watching a baseball game. You sat at a table near the back and wished you could get a beer, but you still had a whole work day ahead of you.

“So it’s like, part trainer, part teacher, part IT. Do you have any experience in IT? I actually started out in computer science before I switched to business, my dad thought it was the best for my career path. I mean, I guess he was right because here I am.”

He was….different, than you thought he would be. You only saw him in the office, turning on his charm and worming his way into things. Here, he was talkative and friendly, and it was throwing you off-guard. The casual humble-brag about his background wasn’t making him anymore likable, though. 

“No, I majored in English.”

_I swear to God if he says-_

“English? Aren’t you already fluent?”

You closed your eyes for a second while his stupid laugh rang in your ears.

“Anyway, I think this is going to be an awesome opportunity for us. I mean, how lucky are we to get picked for this?”

“I wouldn’t call it luck.” You grumbled before taking a drink, not really intending him to hear it.

“What’s that?”

“It’s not luck.” You said as you met his eyes fully for the first time. “Not for me. I’ve worked my ass off for this company for years, it’s only luck for people who got a head start.”

You sank your teeth into your tongue just as the words left you, and you could see the smile fade from his face. You suddenly felt flush and thought about apologizing, but he spoke up.

“Ah, so you think I had a leg up?”

“I didn’t mean-”

He waved a hand and laughed. “It’s fine, I know everyone thinks that, you’re just the first person to say it to my face.”

You couldn’t tell if he was offended and playing it off, or if he was really this nonchalant about it. 

“Look, no offense, but I don’t think we need to be buddies for this to work. I would rather just get in the field and work things out from there.” You explained as directly as you could. 

“That’s fair.” He nodded, to your surprise. 

The small-talk ended and when he tried to pay for lunch, you insisted on giving your share. The rest of the day was uneventful, except for the twinge of guilt you had when you thought back on how you spoke to him.

When you got home, you collapsed on the couch next to your roommate, a graphic designer who worked from home and was always in her PJs. You envied her.

“Another rough day at the office, sweetie?” She asked, patting you on the head, condescending but still sincere.

“Remember that douchebag at work I told you about?”

“Oh, the cute one?” She asked with a smile, having seen him when coming to drop off some lunch for you once.

“Whatever, anyway.” You sat up to face her. “The good news is that I got a promotion to a position that lets me travel.”

“Hey, that’s great!” She beamed.

“The bad news is that we have to do it together.”

She looked to consider it for a moment before her lips curled into a devious smile. “On the road for work? Hotel stays? Working in close proximity? Ohh, this is like a spicy romance novel!”

“Ew, _stop_.” You scowled.

“Only if you stop pretending he’s not hot.”

“Someone can be objectively hot and I can still not like them or be attracted to them. He’s arrogant and he seems to think we’re on the same page somehow. He’s oblivious to his own privilege.”

“Okay, I get that, sorry for teasing you. But hey, this is the break you were looking for, right? Focus on the positive.”

“Thank you.”

She opened up her arms and you hugged for a long moment.

“Maybe while you’re traveling you’ll finally get laid.” She said suddenly into your ear, and you pulled back and glared at her.

“Sorry, sorry! I just know that lately you haven’t really been-”

You stood up from the couch as she spoke. “I’m going to my room now.”

“Let me know if you need help packing!”

You closed your bedroom door and sighed. She meant well, but she had a way of saying things so bluntly that it didn’t quite help. She was right about that, though. Your career wasn’t the only stagnant thing in your life. 

You hadn’t had a steady boyfriend in 2 years, and in that time had only experienced a sprinkling of dates that never went anywhere and the 2-3 times you randomly hooked up with someone to great disappointment. Frustrated was an understatement, and you knew part of it was bleeding over into your professional life. 

You didn’t expect to have any sort of passionate tryst while out for work, but maybe simply getting into a new scenery would make you feel better?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On your first trip out of town, you learn more than you bargained for about your co-worker’s personal life.

The weeks had gone by as usual, not much had changed leading up to your first assignment, save for the occasional meeting with the boss. That, and ever since he had told you to call him Johnny the name was now cemented into your head despite your efforts to remain impersonal. 

Your first job was some dinky small town in Nebraska, and your boss had warned you most of these locations would be as such. They didn’t have the resources to acquire their own people, which is where you came in. 

“It’s not gonna be luxurious, but you’re gonna leave feeling like you really accomplished something.” He assured you with a smile. Easy for him to say, from his swanky office in the big city.

As logistics would have it, you flew out separately and planned to meet at the hotel. When you got there, you took an Uber to the location and thought at first it might be a mistake. This was most definitely a Motel, the kind with outside hallways you saw on the side of the road.

“Are you sure this is it?” You asked the driver, looking over the address again. 

“This is what you gave me.” He shrugged. 

You had at least expected a Holiday Inn, or somewhere it didn't look like people checked in only never to be seen again. You sucked it up and went to the front desk, where at the very least nothing looked broken down or dirty. Just….dated.

You were on the ground floor, right around the corner from the vending machines, as the clerk had told you with a smile. You opened the door with your keycard and you were greeted by two beds in the middle of the room, separated by a nightstand with a single lamp. They faced an old TV and the door to the bathroom. 

There was a table by the window that you could do your work from and you dropped your bag in the chair in the corner. You did a quick sweep of the room, looking for anything out of place, and checked the mattress for bed bugs to be safe. It wasn’t the Ritz, but it would serve its purpose.

You sat on the end of one of the beds, idling through your phone, waiting for a text from your new business partner. It came a few moments later when he informed you he was checking in. 

10 minutes later the door handle jiggled and your head shot up in its direction, your heart jumping into your throat thinking someone was trying to break in. Instead, the door swung up and Johnny stood there. He paused before entering and you stared at each other like two deers caught in headlights.

“What are you doing here.”

“This is the room he told me to come to.”

“That’s impossible, this is my room.”

Johnny stepped it and the heavy door shut behind him. He dropped his bags at his feet and extended the hand still holding his key card. You snatched it out of his hand and looked at the number written on the sleeve in marker. 

“This can’t be right.”

“I’ll call the boss.”

A few minutes later Johnny was pacing the space in front of the beds, trying to get through on the managers personal line, and you nervously chewed your nails while still in your spot at the end of the bed.

“ _Shit_.” He cursed under his breath, hanging up after another failed attempt.

“I don’t want to sound ungrateful,” You started, looking up at him. “But even without the same room debacle, this place is less than ideal.”

“Yeah, as much money as they’re pulling in you would think they could splurge on a Super 8.” He half-joked, then noticed his phone was buzzing. He waved it at you before answering.

“Hey, Steven, yeah-” He stopped, cut off by the other man. You realized he called him by his first name and had to suppress an eye-roll. 

“”Oh uh, it’s….fine. Listen, it looks like we’re in the same room and I’m wondering if there was some kind of mi- oh. Oh I see. No, no, it’s fine I totally get it.”

Your stomach sank at his tone.

“We can totally work with that, no problem. Have a good week, bye-bye.”

He hung up and sighed before turning toward you.

“So it's not a mix-up.”

“ _What_?” You responded, feeling rage building.

“Apparently they didn’t have the budget for this project they thought they did. They’re still working on it, and this is all they could swing on short notice.”

You buried your face in your hand for a second, collecting your thoughts. “They didn’t think to mention this to us?”

“Yeah, not great planning on their part.”

The only consolation to this situation is that there were two beds. However, having to sleep, live, and work in this room with a man for the next week made you uneasy. You didn’t know him that well. 

Johnny was studying your face in that moment, and then he looked around as if he was searching for something. He went and grabbed his bags and moved them next to the bed you sat at.

“You can have the bed by the wall, I’ll sleep by the door if that makes you feel better.” He nodded. You blinked up at him and realized what he was saying, then nodded and grabbed your things, moving them to the other bed. You did feel more secure over here, and felt a little endeared to him in that moment.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. We can set up our stuff here.” He gestured to the table that had a chair on each side. He started to take out his things and organize them on one side. You were thankful he was taking this in stride and meeting you halfway on it, which you had to admit you didn’t entirely expect. He was more mature than you gave him credit for.

You followed suit with getting your laptop out and set up across from him, though there wasn’t much distance between the two of you. You both sat down to get some pre-emptive notes done before you met with the team tomorrow. You worked into the evening, barely registering the sun setting until he closed his laptop and stretched.

“Do you want to get dinner?”

You glanced toward the window. “I guess we should.”

He had picked up the rental car at the airport, and you took it to the nearest restaurant, a dingy little diner down the street. The lighting was yellow and the booths were cramped but it gave off a homely feel you kind of enjoyed. 

“Are you still bothered about the room?” He asked suddenly. You had already ordered and had sat in silence since you came in.

“Not really, why?”

He half-smiled, almost to himself as he shifted in his seat. “You’ve been tense since I got here.”

You blinked for a moment, “And how do you know that?”

“Your shoulders are pulled up and you keep fidgeting. I’m good at reading people’s body language, and I can just tell you haven’t taken a full breath all day. It’s not good for you, you know.”

He cast his eyes aside and took a drink after he spoke, and what he said just made your muscles seize up more. You suppressed the urge to get snappy.

“I’m naturally high-strung.” You said honestly, even if he didn’t need to know it.

“I can tell.” He chuckled. “There’s nothing to be nervous about, we’re gonna have a great day tomorrow.” He said in a strangely reassuring tone.

Your food came then and you fell back into silence, your mind wandering over thoughts about why he was reading your body language so acutely. 

The greasy comfort food was just what you needed after the day you’d had and you split the bill with the company cards you were given. Back in the car, he told you he had to run to the nearest printing store to pick up the packets you were handing out tomorrow.

“You wanna go over my notes for me while I’m out? Let me know if I missed anything.” He asked, and you agreed before he let you off back at the motel and took off.

Back in the room, you took a seat at his laptop and were met with his desktop, the notes closed out. You sighed and grumbled to yourself as you opened up the files and tried to find the notes. His folders were a mess, all named with random codes and abbreviations probably only he could decipher. You clicked through countless nonsense files and folders filled with other types of work jargon that had nothing to do with the current project. 

You clicked into one folder near the bottom that was filled with photos, and went to click away when something caught your eye.

You couldn’t quite tell from the thumbnails what was going on, but it looked interesting. They were high quality, almost like a professional photoshoot, and there was only ever one or two subjects in each photo. Before you could think the better of it, you double-clicked one purely out of curiosity, and when the image came into full view you drew in a sharp, surprised breath. 

It was a room, dark save for windows in the background that looked out to a blurry night skyline. The focus was on a woman on her knees, mostly nude, her arms secured behind her back with ropes that stretched across her chest, stomach, and thighs. She was leaning forward, and her chin was held delicately in the hands of a man sitting in front of her. He had one arm resting on his knee, dressed in slacks and a button down shirt and tie, the other cradling the woman’s face as he looked into her eyes. You could see distinctive red marks across her skin, from her butt and across her thighs. 

The man was your co-worker. The one coming back into this room any second now.

Your cheeks burned red hot as you reached up and slammed the laptop shut without thinking. You shot up from your seat and grabbed your bag, marching out of the hotel room to the vending machines, trying to get your breathing back to normal.

You stared at the list of drinks as your thoughts raced. You could conceptualize what was going on in the photos, you weren’t stupid, but putting it together with the man you just had dinner with was making you feel flush and nervous. 

You dug into your bag for some spare change and got yourself a can of soda, cracking it open right there and chugging it, letting the bubbles burn down your throat and quell your nerves. You took a deep breath before you went back to the room.

When you opened the door, Johnny was leaning over the chair, looking at his opened laptop, and the photo was still open.

“Oh God, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I was-”

He looked up at you, babbling away as you fidgeted with your bag and almost squeezed the can in your hand in half. 

“I see you didn’t find the notes.” He said humorously, as he stood up. You had expected him to be upset, angry, or embarrassed. Instead, he had his same relaxed stance as always, and a slight smirk on his face.

“If you were curious, you could have just asked me.”

Your eyes went wide and you shook your head hard. “I was just looking for the notes, I swear.”

He laughed as he took a couple steps to close the gap between you, and gently laid his hands on your biceps for a moment. He had never stood this close before, his shadow almost dwarfed you.

“Relax, it’s okay.”

“Sorry...again, I wasn’t snooping.” You tried to assure him with a shaky breath. 

He could feel you tremble under his hands and he smiled. “It’s not a big deal, yeah?”

You nodded, and he dropped his arms and went back to the table. He closed out the folder and tabbed up the notes. “Here they are.”

You blinked, a rush of emotions dissipating from your body. You felt mortified, worried, and intrigued all at the same time. His reaction, his gentle voice, and his touch further complicated those feelings.

You went to sit down and look over the notes. At first you could barely concentrate on the words, but after a few seconds of letting your heart-rate get back to normal, you began to focus on the task and found it helped get your mind off what had just happened. However, you had almost forgotten that Johnny was standing behind you, watching you go over them.

Suddenly you felt his presence at your back, as he leaned over your shoulder and pointed at the screen. You almost jumped out of your skin.

“Do you think this needs more detail?” He asked, and his voice was way too close to your left ear. You shivered but tried to play it off.

“Uhm,” You swallowed the lump in your throat. “More details wouldn’t hurt.”

“Great, I’ll do that now.” He said as he stood back up, and you moved out of his chair so he could sit down.

“I’ll finish these up and print us some copies in the morning.” He threw you a pleasant smile before he started typing away. 

You both finished up for the night and he offered you the bathroom first. In the shower you had time to process the day and knocked your fist against your forehead, not only for letting yourself see what you had seen, but for letting it affect you like this. He was an adult with an adult life outside of work, it really shouldn’t have bothered you like this.

But bother wasn’t the right word and you knew that, and you got angry with yourself for what it really did. You were curious, and more importantly, you were turned on.

You grinded your teeth together in an attempt to will the thoughts out of your mind, chalking it up to a lack of physical affection lately. Besides, since when had any of that interested you? You didn’t experiment much, there was never any attempts at tying up or inflicting pain with past partners. The most you had done involved toys and maybe a blindfold, but nothing to the extent with which you saw in the photos. So why did your mind keep going back to those stark, red welts on her bare skin? What was the appeal?

You finished up in the bathroom and went straight to your bed, avoiding eye contact and turning toward the wall. Luckily you were exhausted and fell asleep without much fuss, even if that moment still lingered in your mind.

The next day most of the anxiety had worn off and you were able to conduct yourself normally, especially since you were preoccupied with other things. You brought your materials to the office, an old building probably built in the 70’s with fluorescent lighting and small rooms. The staff were friendly and happy to have you, and you found that you and Johnny worked well together. For two people who had no reason to get along, you bounced off one another as you gave your presentation and were able to avoid stepping on each other's toes. Then you went to work, each of you tackling a set of departments and getting them started on their new updates. 

It wasn’t always smooth sailing, you were on your feet for the whole day and with any sort of transition there were bugs in the system or things that didn’t go as planned. You dealt with it as it came, but could feel the tension building up in your neck and shoulders, the stress collecting in your body and making your muscles tight and your head a bit fuzzy. This added with the nerves of doing something new made you both drained and wired by the time the two of you left the office.

You agreed after your first day that you deserved a drink, both to celebrate the success of getting through it and starting off strong, and as a way to ease the stress of the day. You found a small restaurant with a bar and had dinner, followed by said beverages. It may not be the healthiest coping mechanism, but the white wine you were sipping was doing the trick.

“Look at us, getting along.” Johnny half smiled at you, and you let out a small laugh.

“We work surprisingly well together.” You nodded.

“Are you kidding? We were the dream team in there. I wouldn’t be surprised if it took us less than a week to get them set up.”

“Lets not get ahead of ourselves.” You laughed again, and fell back into a comfortable silence. 

Alcohol was always tricky with you, dredging up the things you wanted to keep hidden. Your mind flashed to that photo again and you wanted to squash it down, but the curiosity was killing you. You were off the clock now, and he had proven he was a pretty chill guy. Would it hurt to ask?

“Can I ask you a personal question?” You said as you felt the wine warm you up inside and make the words flow with less effort from your mouth.

“Hmm?”

“You don’t have to answer if it’s too nosey.”

“Try me.”

“You know the uh...thing, that I saw?” You looked at anything but him as you took another sip.

“I do.” He said slowly, and you caught his face from the corner of your eye. He might have been smirking again.

“I don’t even know how to ask this.” Your eyes darted around some more and you fidgeted in place. “Just, what was that all about?”

He laughed, a deep sound from his chest that made your ears tingle.

“It’s just something I enjoy doing in my personal time.” He shrugged casually.

“What, the photoshoot?”

“That was just a way of documenting it.”

“Documenting what?”

“The thing I like to do.” Now he really was smirking and he seemed to be enjoying stringing you along.

“Which is?”

“Dominating my sexual partners.”

You swallowed hard and nodded. “Got it, that’s what I thought.”

“Then why’d you ask?” He responded. It wasn’t confrontational, more curious.

“I mean I get the whole domination thing, I’m not that naïve.” You prefaced. “It was more so,” You cleared your throat, “ the pain aspect I don’t completely understand.”

“Ah, so I take it you’ve never been spanked before?”

You couldn’t believe you were having this conversation in a dinky small town bar with a man you practically despised a week ago, and the fact he was being so nonchalant about it.

“I mean, I wouldn’t say I _haven’t_ ,”

“Let me guess, a couple love taps from a dude during the act and that’s it?”

“Pretty much.”

He looked as though he expected that, and sat up straight before he spoke again. “I’ll put it to you like this, you know all that tension you carry in your body? And all those erratic, loud thoughts in your head that keep you from sleeping well at night?”

You knew all those things very well, and nodded along.

“Some people, when they submit to another person and let them inflict pain, find that all those things cease to exist in that moment. Your body releases a lot of chemicals in response to pain, and they happen to feel really, really good.”

You listened intently, his entire posture and manner of speaking had changed once you got to this subject, his usual chill, kind of goofy office guy persona slipping away into someone more serious, but relaxed and knowledgeable. 

“So instead of that,” He nodded toward your glass of wine, “you achieve a similar effect with a few lashings.”

You thought about it for a moment before you spoke. “I thought it was just something people got off on.”

“It can be, but it’s a complex experience. Sometimes there’s no sex involved at all.”

“You’ve had situations where someone came over, you beat them with a belt, and then they just go home?” You blurted out in response.

He laughed again, louder this time, but nodded. “Yeah, sometimes.”

You didn’t know why, maybe it was the alcohol, but suddenly this all seemed way too intriguing. For years you had tried to find ways to deal with your stress. You had tried yoga, tea, getting a facial once a week, but nothing seemed to work. Sometimes you even thought drugs might do the trick, but watching your friend on molly at a concert that one time has put you off the idea. 

“The pain just makes everything fade into the background, I’ve even been told it’s euphoric.” He added, only enticing you further. 

“Makes sense.” You murmured, bringing your glass back to your lips to finish it off. You felt like you were in a daze, and when he suddenly leaned in it took you by surprise.

“Are you curious to try it?”

He said it gently, quietly, so only you could hear. Immediately your cheeks burned and you leaned back.

“No! I mean, I don’t know.” You stated truthfully. Whether you did or not, the accusation that you might was horribly embarrassing to confront. 

“Well if you do ever want to try it, just be careful.” His face drew down into concern. “There’s a lot of people out there that don’t know what they’re doing.”

“You’d say you’re experienced?”

“I’d like to think so.”

He seemed to pause, running his finger along the rim of his glass, hesitating before he spoke up.

“It wouldn’t be wise of me to offer up my experience, since we’re co-workers n’all.” 

You gulped, wishing you had more to drink because suddenly your throat was dry.

“But if you have any more questions, you know where to find me.” He grinned, and it felt like an invitation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get the chance to try out your secret desires.

You had left your conversation at just that, a conversation. The rest of the week went along as normal, at least on the outside. Inside, you were plagued by thoughts of what you had learned and new feelings you couldn’t decipher. You remained as professional as possible, and it worked for the most part, but every now and then when he leaned over your shoulder or said something a certain way, your mind would wander to possibilities, and you quickly stamped them out.

Obviously this had ignited something in you, and you didn’t need him for that. When you finished out the job and headed home, you did your own research. You ran across a slew of information from various sources, some of it overwhelmed you, some of it aroused you. Overall, it only seemed to complicate things more. 

When you came across stories and advice from people who seemed to desire what you did, you felt a strange sense of yearning for someone who could take control and guide you. You guessed that you fit into the category of a submissive, if you had to guess, but it was hard to know without really experiencing any of it yet.

You even signed up on a site, similar to one for dating but for other activities. You had no intention of meeting anyone, even if in the back of your mind you fantasized about coming across someone who could take the reins and give you the experience you craved. When this shadow of a figure would sometimes take the shape of your co-worker, you would halt the reverie immediately.

Unfortunately, the website only served to put you off. You got messages from random men with shirtless, faceless avatars demanding you call them ‘daddy’ in their first message to you, and you may not know it all but something felt decidedly creepy about that kind of aggression. You wanted to be eased into it, have a normal conversation, be swooned, be taken care of. Unfortunately, it was starting to look like these kinds of encounters only existed in erotic novels and you were ready to give up, and leave it to be something that happened purely in your mind.

Your next assignment came quicker than you had anticipated, and before you knew it you were flying to another podunk town. You were informed that these joint motel rooms were going to be the norm until they were approved for their grant, and they made sure to ask if you were okay with that. Honestly, you had gotten used to sharing a room, mostly because Johnny was a gentleman about it and you stayed out of each other’s space. You could overlook the inconvenience for the sake of the pay rate. 

It wasn’t much different from the first job; you met up, you ate, you strategized your notes, you went to sleep, you got up bright and early to introduce yourself to the office staff and managers, and then you went to work.

The days could be long, and it wasn’t the same as sitting at your computer all day. You were constantly on your feet, talking to different people, helping in various tasks, troubleshooting system errors, and every now and then teaming up with your partner to take on a certain area of the transition. Then you would drag your tired bodies out of the building after everyone else had gone home and find someplace open late to fill up on much-needed carbs.

While you waited for your food, you grabbed hold of your shoulder and stretched out your neck.

“Long day, huh?” Johnny commented.

“It’s more work than I thought,” You started, meeting his eyes, “But it beats sitting in the office all day.”

“True” He nodded, and you fell into silence.

You don’t know why your mind wandered to the ways he de-stressed, and you could understand why he seemed so relaxed all the time. You wondered if he had multiple partners, people he saw regularly, or maybe just a girlfriend. 

“Why did you take this position?” You asked him then, wondering if you could suss out some information that way.  
He seemed to think for a moment before he shrugged. “The pay is good, and I was bored.”

“Fair enough. I’m guessing there’s no one at home to miss you?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” He smiled, a slight tug at one side. “But nothing serious.”

“Ah,” You nodded, and you hadn’t expected him to ask the same.

“What about you?”

“Friends and family, sure. No one else, though.”

He nodded, too. “I would have taken you for someone to have a partner.” He said, and you furrowed your brow at him.

“Why is that?”

“You just seem like the type to be committed, that’s all. Also your curiosity about my hobbies made me think maybe you haven’t experienced a lot. Sorry if that sounds presumptuous.”

“It does.” You said carefully, but tried not to get annoyed. “But also you’re half-right. I haven’t had a boyfriend in awhile and I also wouldn’t call myself….experienced.” You swallowed before the last word. 

He looked self-satisfied with his correct guess. 

“Although, can I be honest with you for a second?” You asked, finding it the perfect opportunity to open up about what you had been experiencing, without giving too much away. Maybe he had advice for your predicament?

“Of course.” He leaned forward on his elbows, ready to listen. It made you feel more at ease.

“My curiosity got the better of me, and I was looking around for, you know, that.” You emphasized with your facial expression, hoping he would catch on.

“What, a D/s relationship?” He asked, and luckily you had done that research because you knew what he meant.

“Something like that, sure.”

“Go on.” He said neutrally, but you could see a twinkle of intrigue in his eye.

“There just seemed to be a whole lot of scummy dudes out there, no different than what I see on dating sites. It’s pretty unappealing.” You made your point with a disgusted face, and he sat back and laughed.

“There’s a lot of fakes out there, you have to be selective.” He said after he’d had his hearty chuckle.

“Fakes?” You asked, unsure of what exactly that could mean.

“There are a lot of people that think they know what they’re doing, but there’s more to it than the actual act. There’s rules, negotiations, consent. It should be a healthy exchange.”

The way he spoke about it sent a tingle down your spine and that feeling of longing creeped back up.

You sighed deeply. “How the hell do you find people that understand that?”

“You’re talking to one.” 

“You’re my co-worker.”

“So?”

You started to feel flush, wondering if you were picking up on the right signals. 

“That would be unprofessional.”

He laughed again, “What we do in our off time isn’t any of the company’s business.”

Again, a tingle, but this time all over. But it was interrupted by your food arriving, which startled you and reminded you where you were. You thanked the waitress and waited for her to get out of earshot.

“Let's put it this way, I know what I’m doing and I’m willing to to teach you some things, if you’d like. I’d honestly rather you start out with me than some weirdo on the internet. Once I show you the ropes, maybe you’ll be able to find yourself the man of your dreams.” He explained with a pleasant smile, as if he were discussing teaching you to cook. 

Your throat went dry as you considered his proposal, partially terrified and partially screaming YES in your head.

“That does sound ideal,” You trailed off, before snapping forward again. “But no sex.” 

“We can discuss all of our boundaries later,” He said matter-of-factly, and you already felt 10 times better about this than any chat you’d had with a man on that site. 

The conversation died off and you went about your meal. Back at the motel, you sat nervously on the side of your bed, watching Johnny take off his jacket, sling it over a chair, and then start undoing the buttons on his dress shirt cuffs. You gulped.

“So what part appealed to you the most during your little research session?” He asked with an amused tone as he rolled the sleeves up to his elbows and secured them again. You watched his hands and arms as you fought through your thoughts to find a cohesive answer.

“I guess the spanking part took up most of my time, and some of the tying up, too.” You said, your voice a little more quiet than usual, feeling embarrassed admitting it out loud like that. You had spent one evening in particular watching Shibari sessions and were transfixed by the tranquil setting, how it appeared the person in the confines was in a state of relaxed bliss from it. That was what you needed.

He came and sat on his own bed across from you, hands on his knees. “How much experience do you have with pain?”

“Besides stubbing my toes regularly, not much.” You said, and he laughed.

“No deliberate pain experiences, got it.” He nodded, taking a mental note.

“You may find that actually receiving pain feels a lot different than you imagine it in your fantasies. That’s okay, if it happens,” He explained, and suddenly your anxiety ramped up. What if you did all this and you absolutely hated every minute of it?

He must’ve seen the gears turning in your head because he spoke up once more. “This is why negotiations are important, the more I learn about you the better I can make your experience.” he gave you a soft, reassuring smile. “And there’s systems in place for during the act as well.”

“Like me saying ‘armadillo’?” You asked, only half joking. 

“Sure, if that’s what you really want.” He chuckled. “But I usually rely on the color system, it's a lot more specific.”

“Color system?”

“Green means go ahead, yellow means slow down or give me a minute, and red means we stop everything and go straight into aftercare.”

You had done a fair amount of reading about aftercare, and you were unsure how that was going to work in your current situation. 

“Sounds easy enough.”

“Some people have a hard time vocalizing during a scene, so we’ll take it slow.”

You nodded to yourself and there was a quiet moment as the thoughts swirled around in your mind, nervous and excited and unsure.

“So no sex, right?” He said in a way that brought you crashing back into your body.

“No. I mean, no offense, I just wanted to make it clear that I’m doing this with you because you have experience and that’s all.” You stated firmly, and he seemed entertained by your insistence that you weren’t attracted to him.

“None taken, I just wanted to be sure.” He nodded, “Would you like to get started now? You know, something simple to start off.”

“I suppose we could do that.” 

He adjusted his sleeves some more while he met your eyes. “Come here.”

You felt like your stomach was about to fall out of you at the way he spoke those words, and you lifted yourself shakily onto your feet to move across the gap in the floor to sit next to him on his bed.

“Another important question,” He said as he went to turn toward you. “Clothes on or off?”

Your eyes went wide, somehow you had never thought about that part. You didn’t understand how you were about to let this man spank you, but you were mortified at the idea of him seeing you naked.

“On.” You said meekly, wondering if that would bother him, but he barely reacted. 

“Turn over and lay down on your front.” He instructed, his voice clear and calm, which eased you. 

You did as you were told, feeling almost silly about it, still in your dress slacks and your hair in an untidy ponytail. Your head was turned away from him, and you pulled your arm up and rested your hand near your mouth.

You could hear the rustle of his clothing and the bedsheets as he got into a comfortable position, then you felt a hand on your ass and suppressed the urge to gasp, more so in surprise than anything else. He simply laid his hand on the fullest part of the muscle, and it was large and warm even through your clothing. It was like he was telling you without words that this is where you could expect it.

“Are you ready?”

You nodded, and a pause followed.

“I’m going to need you to verbalize that for me.”

“Yes.”

“Good.” He said, his voice cutting off near the end, like he was going to say more but stopped himself.

The hand pulled away and within an instant it was back down on your backside, but with a smack accompanying it. It wasn’t too hard, but it was enough to jar you and your eyes went wide.

“What color are you?”

“Huh?”

“The color system.” He reminded you, his hand resting on the place he just hit, but not moving.

“Oh, uh, green.”

The hand rose up and came back down again, with about the same amount of force as before. It stung, but you wouldn’t say it hurt, and in fact you thought you might be enjoying it, but it was too soon to be sure.

He did this a few more times, going back and forth between each side, and you were glad he couldn’t see your face because your eyes had fallen shut and your mouth dropped open against your fist, panting into it with each strike. You didn’t understand it, but you felt strangely relaxed. 

“I’m going to go a bit harder now,” He spoke then. “Is that okay?”

“Yes.” You said almost as soon as he asked, you heard him give a small chuckle. 

The transition to the next level was much more apparent, and stronger than you thought it would be, and you let out a soft “ah” sound against your will. As soon as you heard your own voice, your eyes snapped open and you felt panicked.

“Color?”

“G-green.”

“So that was a good sound, I’ll have to remember that.” You could almost hear the smug smile in his voice and you felt that tinge of annoyance well up, quickly replaced by mind-melting pleasure when his hand came back down on you hard.

There was a strange difference from the first few strikes to the ones now. At first it was all on edge, getting used to the sensation, now you were worn down by it and truly feeling the pain, but not in a way that made you want to stop or move away from it. Instead, you mentally leaned in, let it happen, and in response your thoughts drifted away to somewhere else. It was like sitting in savasana at the end of yoga class, your muscles throbbing but your mind at ease. 

However, the longer it went on the more raw it got, the same place getting a repeated sting, drawing you out of reverie and you squirmed in place. His hand stopped heavy on your left side.

“I think that’s good enough for tonight.” He said, and you went to roll over. As your eyes opened and you were met with the dingy motel ceiling you suddenly felt dizzy and blurry eyed. You blinked a few times until you felt a hand by your forehead, brushing some of your hair away.

“How do you feel?” He asked, leaning over you some, his face calm but a little concerned.

“Warm, but dizzy, too.”

“That happens, let me get you some water.” He said as he got up and fetched an unopened water bottle from the table. 

“When you sit up, do it slowly.” He said as he cracked the bottle for you and waited patiently for you to get your bearings.

“I didn’t think it would feel like that.” You said as you pushed up gently from your elbows. 

“It’s the adrenaline, it can be a little intense the first few times, especially if you’re nervous.”

You took the water from him as you listened and absorbed what he was saying. 

“Is there anything you need from me?” He asked, and you blinked at him as you took a long sip.

“Like what?” You asked, perplexed.

“I didn’t feel like my usual aftercare was appropriate, since you want to keep your distance, so is there anything in particular I can do?”

You cocked your head curiously. “What is your usual?”

“Whatever the person wants, but it typically involves cuddling, kissing, bathing together.” He rattled off and you felt your cheeks go hot.

“The water is fine.” You tilted it toward him in thanks and averted your gaze.

“Oh wait,” He said suddenly, jumping up from the bed and going to his bag. He ruffled around in his satchel until he came back with something.

“Here, these should help if you’re feeling weak.” He said, pushing a packet of fruit snacks toward you.

You laughed as you took them. “Thanks” You looked down and smiled.

You went into the bathroom shortly after to get ready for bed, and in there you did your best to observe your backside in the mirror. There was a faint flush around the skin and very subtle traces of fingers in some spots that made you sink your teeth into your bottom lip.

In the shower, running your hands over your body, you were acutely aware that you had not only enjoyed the experience, but were immensely aroused by it. You put the sole responsibility of this on the act, and not the person administering it. Besides, you couldn't even see his face, it could’ve been anyone.

But you certainly hadn’t been thinking about anyone else.


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interaction with a difficult boss leaves you tense, but there's a remedy for that.

The next day in the office you were aware of how easily distracted you were, periodically zoning out any quiet moment you had, your mind drifting to the night before. When you thought about it too long, you felt a faint heat on your face and had to pull yourself out of it. 

He hadn’t spanked you hard enough to leave any marks into the next day, but just the memory of that warm burn against your backside made you feel like mush inside.

What was alarming to you was not that you had enjoyed it so much, that you could’ve easily guessed, but instead how eager you were to do it again, and to do more. You didn’t want to seem needy or out of line, but the only thing it did to your yearning was increase it. 

You admired Johnny’s ability to go about his day, not seeming at all distracted or even thinking about the night before. Of course, he was more experienced than you, he probably did all kinds of things in his free time that no one in the office could even guess, because he showed up the next day with that boyish smile and charm. That heat came back when your mind quickly went over all the possibilities of what he has done before, kept hidden from public eyes.

“Did you get that?” The woman at the computer asked and broke you out of your thoughts, and you almost forgot what you were doing.

“Run it by me again.” You cleared your throat to say, leaning forward toward her computer screen where she was detailing some file dates for you. She sighed and told you again.

The rest of your trip went on without a hitch, work wise, and that was a relief. However, you felt anxious for the duration of it, wondering when and if you could do what you did again. Did he want to do it again? He hadn’t made any indication of such. Maybe he was bored with you already? No longer interested in someone with not much to offer him. Why did you care? There were plenty of other men who could satisfy your urges. Then again, you shuddered at the memories of the website interactions. 

You parted ways and went back to office life again, awaiting the next trip. In the meantime you did more research, staying up way too late reading blogs, articles, instagram posts, whatever you could get your hands on. As predicted, it heightened your feelings everytime, and more than once you had considered texting him. Nothing scandalous, just a curious question or two. Afterall, he had said he wanted to teach you. 

One such Friday night after a glass of wine, you finally bit the bullet.

**You** : So are we still doing this?

It was vague, but you hoped he would catch on.

**Johnny** : doing what?

You sighed.

**You** : the whole teaching me the ropes thing

**Johnny** : yeah, of course, if you want to

**You** : oh, well you haven’t said anything since the last time so I thought you lost interest

**Johnny** : lol i didn’t want to scare you, so i just thought i’d let you take the lead

**You** : isnt the opposite of what a dom does?

**Johnny** : i do whatever my subs and i have discussed, i dont assume.

You felt funny at that response, a little elated and pleased. Unfortunately, it deflated at his next response.

**Johnny** : but technically you’re not one of my subs, you’re more like a student

**You** : true

You don’t know why you felt so disappointed.

**You** : how many do you have right now?

**Johnny** : right now? None, really. I have people I play with, but no one collared.

You felt a little tingle go through you. You knew all about collaring now, after all the research you had done. To be collared meant you belonged to someone, and the idea of it had been on your mind a lot lately.

You didn’t want to admit that you felt a little relieved that he wasn’t that serious with anyone.

**You** : have you? In the past?

**Johnny** : sure

**You** : i guess it would be a bit too intrusive to ask what happened

**Johnny** : nothing unusual. no different than a regular relationship, break-ups happen.

**You** : sorry if im coming off strong, i’ve had a little bit to drink

**Johnny** : lol I can tell

You scowled at your phone

**You** : how?

**Johnny** : you seem more relaxed and open. I guess it helps that we’re not face to face. 

He had talked about that before, that you seemed tense. 

**You** : well now you know why I developed an interest in this hobby of yours. 

**Johnny** : good choice, i know a lot of ways to loosen you up

Your eyes went wide at that, and he responded again before you could.

**Johnny** : shit, i didnt mean like that.

Again, a wave of disappointment. And then the slightly buzzed, warm part of your brain spoke up.

_ Just fucking admit that you like him. _

You ignored her. That bitch was drunk.

**You** : i got you, dont worry

**Johnny** : back to your original point, you wanna make this a regular thing just say the word.

**You** : the word

**Johnny** : lol alright smartass

**You** : :)

  
  


You left the conversation feeling less anxious and more excited, and now the next trip out of town couldn’t come fast enough.

Within a week you had gotten your assignment, and the pattern of the small town with dinky offices and crappy motels continued, but you didn’t really mind it. You had grown accustomed to the charm of these places and the simplicity of getting out of the city and working where things went a little slower. 

You tried not to seem too eager, your main focus was work after all. You had come in late after a delayed flight, and grabbed some dinner to-go before getting to the hotel, knowing Johnny had already eaten and settled in for the night. You did your usual pre-game meeting and went off to bed.

Unfortunately, the good mood you had started the trip with was about to go south.

There was something about the manager, Mr. Clifton, that rubbed you the wrong way immediately. He was middle-aged, portly, no different than many of the others at first glance, but the dismissive way he had introduced himself to you and how he had a tendency to bark orders put you on edge. You had thrown Johnny a look and he shrugged.

“So I was thinking we would get started with-” You had begun to speak, shuffling through your papers, when the man snatched the top one out of your hands. Your jaw snapped shut and you stared hard at him, not even meeting your eyes after his rude gesture.

“Let me take a look and I’ll decide where we start, sweetheart.” He mumbled and you had to sink your teeth into your cheek.

“This programming makes no sense.” Mr. Clifton grumbled, and you plucked the paper back out of his hand. 

“Right, because we haven’t taught it to you yet.” You smiled insincerely, and he could tell. 

“We usually start by giving a presentation to the staff, and then working one-on-one.” You explained, and you peered over his shoulder to see Johnny on the other side of the room speaking with a receptionist. You wished someone had witnessed the encounter. 

“No need for a presentation, just get straight to work.”

“I do believe a presentation is best-”

He cut you off again, waving his hand in your face.

“I know you big-shots from corporate think you know everything, but I know how things work best around here. Just get to it.”

With that, he wandered away, and you stiffened up as you turned and approached your co-worker.

“This guy is gonna be a problem.” You grumbled under your breath, leaning over to him so no one else would hear.

“I could guess as much, what did he say?”

“No presentation, just get them set-up.”

“What? Half of these people are over 55 and have never worked on anything other than Windows 97, they’re gonna be totally lost if we just throw them into the program.” 

Johnny was visibly agitated as well, and you were glad it wasn’t just you.

“I guess we’ll have to do our best. I’ll start on this side.” You sighed, picking up a stack of papers and going over to a row of computers. 

Since you weren’t able to introduce them to even the basics, you spent most of your day jumping from person to person, walking them through the new program step-by-step. It took far longer than it needed to, and you tried to remain patient and pleasant, but everytime you caught sight of Mr. Clifton you couldn’t help but glare his way. 

“He’s a pain in the ass, I know.” One woman in her late 50’s had commented, having caught on to your glances.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but he seems to want to make my job harder than it needs to be.” You explained, hoping she wouldn’t rat you out. Instead, she laughed.

“Welcome to every day of my life for the past 20 years. Man can’t satisfy his wife and his kids hate him so that’s somehow my problem.” She rolled her eyes and the both of you broke into giggles.

“Something funny, ladies?” His voice called over to you, and you wondered where he got the nerve to talk to his employees like children.

“Just chugging along, sir.” The woman called, and gave you a comical face of disgust, which made you smile and stifle another laugh.

As the day went, it didn’t get any easier. In fact, it got harder, and you ended up working straight through any kind of lunch break because there was just too much to get done. You were here 3 more days, but the lack of presentation had set you behind.

Close to the end of the workday, Mr. Clifton wandered back into the office and looked displeased.

“How are so many of them not past the initial installation?” He barked in your direction. You noted that he hadn’t been speaking to Johnny like this.

“To be fair, sir, we lost a lot of time without the presentation. That is where most of the troubleshooting takes place.” You explained calmly, and watched as his face contorted.

“If you were any good at your job, you would be able to get them set up much faster than this.”

You felt your chest tighten as scorching anger built up your neck and into your face. You had never felt rage like this on the job before and you clenched your fists instinctually, ready to tear him a new one, but Johnny stepped in just as you opened your mouth to speak.

“Hey now, there’s no need for that,” He raised a hand but painted on an affable smile to simmer some of the tension. “My colleague is plenty qualified, that’s why the company sent her, and to be frank, Mr. Clifton, things would run much smoother if you would let us do our jobs.”

“I know how to run my office.” He huffed, sending a glare in your direction as he spoke. “I don’t need two kids coming in here telling me how to manage my employees.”

Your tongue was practically searing the inside of your mouth with all the things you wanted to say to this man, but Johnny was a lot more collected than you were, and that was for the best.

“Oh, well forgive me.” He laid a hand on his chest. “I wasn’t aware you could set up this system yourself. By all means.” He went over to a stack of paperwork and dropped it down heavy on the desk next to Mr. Clifton.

“Here’s all the notes, and a few hard drives with the code I wrote up for the programs. You can read C++, right?” Johnny smiled.

Mr. Clifton was visibly fuming now, his shiny face turning red. He looked like he wanted to start yelling, but Johnny spoke up again.

“If it's too much for you, I can give Mr. Aarons a call. He’s your direct supervisor, right? Him and my dad go way back. I played baseball with his son. I’m sure he’d love to hear from me.”

And in a finger snap, Mr. Clifton’s face dropped and his eyes widened. He went from beet red to pale white in a flash, and shook his head gently. 

“Oh, no no, that won’t be necessary.” He reached over and pushed the stack of papers toward the both of you, frantic in his movement. “You’ve got this under control, I’ll just leave you to it.”

Your jaw loosened and you were pleased with your co-workers display, even if you were still angry about how you got there.

“Great, I think we’ll call it a night then.” Johnny smiled wide, “Oh and one more thing.”

Mr Clifton stared, petrified.

“Can we get a projector set up in here tomorrow morning? I really think that presentation will do wonders for the team.”

Mr. Clifton’s back straightened and his brow drew down, and you could tell he wanted to protest, but he agreed unwillingly, in a grumbly sort of way.

You went back to the motel, and praised your partner for his finesse in the workroom.

“And you said my privilege wasn’t going to help.” He joked with a smirk as you made your way back into your room.

“I’m glad someone put him in his place, misogynistic prick.” You said almost in a growl as you started to take your jacket and shoes off. “No one has ever spoken to me like that at my job, I couldn’t even think straight. “

“You’re still pretty upset, eh?” He asked from his side of the room. He had taken off his jacket as well and was undoing his tie.

“Oh I’m fuming, but I’ll get over it.”

“Hm.”

You looked up and he was staring at you, a playful smile on his mouth as he undid the knot in the tie.

“What?” You asked, suddenly nervous even if you couldn’t pinpoint why.

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking I had something that would help with those feelings.”

You felt your heart shoot up into your throat, and let out a dry “Oh?”

He reached out one arm and beckoned you with two fingers.

You walked over to him, unsure of where this was going but already trembling in anticipation.

Once you were at a comfortable but close distance from him, he spoke. “Turn around.”

You did as you were told, and felt one of his hands glide along your wrist.

“You were interested in being restrained, if I recall?”

Your knees almost buckled.

“Uh, yeah.”

He brought both hands gently behind your back, and you heard clothing shuffling before you felt something silky run across both wrists, and realized it was the tie.

“Is this okay?” He leaned forward and whispered near your ear, and you had to close your eyes to suppress the shudder that threatened to go through you.

“Yes.”

You were surprised at how clear the word came out, and he was pleased with the confirmation, too. He pulled tight on the knot he’d created, not enough to hurt or cut off blood supply, but enough that you wouldn’t be able to wiggle out of them.

He then nudged you forward, toward the edge of his bed.

“Kneel.”

You didn’t hesitate, somehow knowing exactly where he wanted you to go. Your knees came down on the floor and your stomach against the edge of the bed. It was low enough that you could lay your upper body down on top of the mattress.

“You’re a good listener, I like that.” He chuckled, and you clenched your hands in your restraints.

He pulled up a chair from the table and brought it as close to you as he could and took a seat.

“Look at me.”

You realized you faced away, much like the first time you had done this, and the thought of looking him in the eye while you were this vulnerable made you a little queasy and anxious. Slowly, you turned your head over to the other side, and rest it gently on the bed facing him. He had a soft expression that relaxed you, and suddenly made you think back to earlier in the day when he had stood up for you. You felt safe.

“I think now is a good time to discuss some means of address.”

You gave him a puzzled expression.

“Chances are, whoever you’re with is going to have a desired title.”

“Like what?” You asked, though you already had some ideas from your own research.

“Depends on the person; Master, Daddy, there’s plenty.”

Your cheeks went hot and he noticed, smiling easily.

“I prefer Sir.”

You relaxed again, mulling it over in your mind. If you had been told after you first met him that you would be on your knees for him calling him Sir, you would have laughed or been disgusted. Right now, however, it felt natural.

“I can work with that.” You nodded, your cheek grazing the bedsheets.

“Great. I don’t know if there’s anything in particular you want to be called, but if you think of anything, let me know.”

You hadn’t ever considered that before, and honestly you had no idea.

“Nothing comes to mind.”

He nodded. “Maybe I’ll think of something, too.” He said with a hint of humor in his voice. You wondered what atrocious, joke nickname he might come up with.

“Moving on,” He stood and moved closer. “I have another question.”

“Hmm?”

He reached down and grabbed the zipper on your skirt made of corduroy. “I know you said you wanted to keep your clothes on, but I feel like this is going to get in the way.”

You glanced down, as if you could see yourself, and you felt a wave of uncertainty.

“You can keep everything else on.”

You took a deep breath, far too eager to get started to let your insecurities control you right now.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Go head, take it off.”

He waited a split second in case you changed your mind, then tugged the side zipper down. Once it was open, he used both hands to tug the skirt down your thighs and off your legs, having you pick up each knee so he could remove it completely. Now from the waist down you had on your underwear and sheer stockings. You were grateful you had worn a sensible pair of undergarments, nothing risque but nothing that would embarrass you either. 

“There, that should do it.” He said as he took his seat again, leaning toward you. “I do want you to feel it, afterall.”

This time you couldn’t stop the shiver.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

You swallowed, somehow forgetting the conversation you had just had and now feeling bashful about having to put it in action.

“Yes...sir.”

“We’ll have to work on that” He laughed, “You remember the color system?”

“Yes…..sir. Yes, sir.”

“Good.”

With that, his hand came down hard on your backside, and you cried out more so in surprise than anything else. Your face flushed red hot and you squirmed.

“Color?”

“Green.” You breathed out shakily, as after the initial shock wore off, you felt full-body tingles as the sensation moved through you.

“I’m going to be a little rougher on you tonight, is that okay?”

You actually had to stop yourself from moaning, sinking your teeth into your tongue for a moment. “Yes, sir.”

With that confirmation, another loud, hard downward swing that was audible to the ears, bouncing off the walls of the tiny motel room. All your senses came back to you at once, the full knowledge of where you were and what you were doing. On your knees, your wrists tied, partially exposed, your backside burning. You clenched your thighs together as arousal gripped you from the inside.

Not only that, but the tension you had been holding in your body from your strenuous day of work was melting off of you bit by bit. Every Time his hand came down on your flesh, your muscles tensed, only to slowly unwind again and you pressed deeper and deeper into the mattress, surrendering to the feeling. 

You turned your face partially away, burying it into the comforter as your mouth dropped open in a pant. You made noises sometimes, jolted out of you by the sting of the impact, but they always faded into a satisfied mewl. 

After a number of lashings, Johnny paused and ran his hand across the spots he had come into contact with, and it felt hot under his touch even through your stockings. You pushed your head back to look at him again and he wasn’t smiling, he wasn’t jovial or sarcastic or any other look you were familiar with. He had an expression you hadn’t seen before, somehow serious but his eyes dark and intent as he caressed you, almost like he needed to pause for his sake more than yours.

You didn’t know if it was your endorphin drunk brain playing tricks on you, but you could have sworn it was a look of lust.

He cleared his throat once he realized you were looking at him. “Can you take more?”

“Mhm” You near-whined, and without thinking you pushed your hips back toward his hand ever-so-slightly. It could’ve been a natural movement, or it could have been deliberate. Either way, you heard a small breath catch in his throat.

“I need a better answer than that.”

His voice was lower, more stern. Almost frightening in a way that made you pulse..

“Yes, sir.”

He didn’t hesitate to spank you again, 4 more times, 2 on each side. Just when you thought you were tapped out he had stopped.

He brought the chair a little closer and used both hands to help you up off the bed, yet still on your knees. He pushed your frazzled hair away from your face and smiled, letting his hand linger on your cheek for a moment.

“How do you feel?”

“A little dizzy.” You said honestly, and he stood up to untie your hands and help you up on the bed. You winced a little as you came to sit on your sore backside.

“Stay there.” He said as he went to fetch you a water bottle from his bag, and you realized how parched you were. 

“How was that?” He asked as he came to sit next to you. After you had chugged enough of your drink, you thought for a moment.

“Good. I mean, really good. I feel relaxed now.”

“Good.” He nodded and reached out to pat the top of your hand. You laughed at the brief, awkward contact. You still hadn’t quite figured out the aftercare thing. 

“I’m gonna go shower.” You said, then realized you were still in just your stockings and top. You sheepishly stood up and sntached the skirt off the ground, just to walk toward the bathroom as naturally as possible. From your peripheral you could see him eyeing his handy work on your way out and blushed.


End file.
